• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.355-372
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• 2022

The study is part of an experimental program on full-scale Un-Reinforced Masonry (URM) wall panels strengthened with Textile reinforced mortars (TRM). Eight brick walls (two with and five without central opening), were tested under the diagonal tension (shear) test method in order to investigate the strengthening system effectiveness on the in-plane behaviour of the walls. All the URM panels consist of the innovative components, named "Orthoblock K300 bricks" with vertical holes and a thin layer mortar. Both of them have great capacity and easy application and can be constructed much more rapidly than the traditional bricks and mortars, increasing productivity, as well as the compressive strength of the masonry walls. Several parameters pertaining to the in-plane shear behaviour of the retrofitted panels were investigated, including shear capacity, failure modes, the number of layers of the external TRM jacket, and the existence of the central opening of the wall. For both the control and retrofitted panels, the experimental shear capacity and failure mode were compared with the predictions of existing prediction models (ACI 2013, TA 2000, Triantafillou 1998, Triantafillou 2016, CNR 2018, CNR 2013, Eurocode 6, Eurocode 8, Thomoglou et al. 2020). The experimental work allowed an evaluation of the shear performance in the case of the bidirectional textile (TRM) system applied on the URM walls. The results have shown that some analytical models present a better accuracy in predicting the shear resistance of all the strengthened masonry walls with TRM systems which can be used in design guidelines for reliable predictions.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.405-421
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• 2023

An experimental study on six axially-loaded composite short columns with different thicknesses of steel tube and that of the concrete plate was carried out. Compared to the mechanical behavior of component specimens under axially compressed, the failure modes, compression deformation, and strain process were obtained. The two main parameters that have a significant enhancement to cross-sectional strength were also analyzed. The failure of an axially loaded UHPC-CFST short column is due to the crushing of the UHPC plate, while the CFST member does reach its maximum resistance. A reduction coefficient K'c, related to the confinement coefficient, is introduced to account for the contribution of CFST members to the ultimate load-carrying capacity of the UHPC-CFST composite short columns. Based on the regression analysis of the relationship between the confinement index ξ and the value of fcc/fc, a unified formula for estimating the axial compressive strength of CFST short columns was proposed, combined with the experimental results in this research, and an equation for reliably predicting the strength of UHPC-CFST composite short columns under axial compression were also proposed.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.303-321
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• 2022

The current design equations for predicting the torsional capacity of RC members underestimate the torsional strength of under-reinforced members and overestimate the torsional strength of over-reinforced members. This is because the design equations consider only the yield strength of torsional reinforcement and the cross-sectional properties of members in determining the torsional capacity. This paper presents an analytical model to predict the thickness of shear flow path in RC beams subjected to pure torsion. The analytical model assumes that torsional reinforcement resists torsional moment with a sufficient deformation capacity until concrete fails by crushing. The ACI 318 code is modified by applying analytical results from the proposed model such as the average stress of torsional reinforcement and the effective gross area enclosed by the shear flow path. Comparison of the calculated and observed torsional strengths of existing 129 test beams showed good agreement. Two design variables related to the compressive strength of concrete in the proposed model are approximated for design application. The accuracy of the ACI 318 code for the over-reinforced test beams improved somewhat with the use of the approximations for the average stresses of reinforcements and the effective gross area enclosed by the shear flow path.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.115-132
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• 2023

The present study experimentally and analytically investigates the effect of tensile reinforcement ratio and arrangement on the behavior of FRP strengthened reinforced concrete (RC) beams. The experimental part of the program was comprised of 8 RC beams that were tested under four-point bending. Results have shown that by keeping the total cross-section area of tensile reinforcing bars constant, in specimens with a low reinforcement ratio, increasing the number and decreasing the diameter of bars in the section lead to 21% and 29% increase in the load-carrying capacity of specimens made with normal and high compressive strength, respectively. In specimens with high reinforcement ratio, a different behavior was observed. Furthermore, the accuracy of the existing code provisions and analytical models in predicting the load-carrying capacity of the FRP strengthened beams failed by premature debonding mode were evaluated. Herein, a model is proposed which considers the tensile reinforcement ratio (as opposed to code provisions) to achieve more accurate results for calculating the load carrying capacity of FRP strengthened RC beams.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.89 no.4
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• pp.349-362
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• 2024

High-performance fiber-reinforced cement composites (HPFRCC) are new materials created and used to repair, strengthen, and improve the performance of different structural parts. When exposed to tensile tension, these materials show acceptable strain-hardening. All of the countries of the globe currently seem to have a need for these building materials. This study aims to create a low-carbon HPFRCC (high ductility) that is made from materials that are readily available locally which has the right mechanical qualities, especially an increase in tensile strain capacity and environmental compatibility. In order to do this, the effects of fiber volume percent (0%, 0.5%, 1%, and 2%), and determining the appropriate level, filler type (limestone powder and silica sand), cement type (ordinary Portland cement, and limestone calcined clay cement or LC3), matrix hardness, and fiber type (ordinary and oxygen plasma treated polypropylene fiber) were explored. Fibers were subjected to oxygen plasma treatment at several powers and periods (50 W and 200 W, 30, 120, and 300 seconds). The influence of the above listed factors on the samples' three-point bending and direct tensile strength test results has been examined. The results showed that replacing ordinary Portland cement (OPC) with limestone calcined clay cement (LC3) in mixtures reduces the compressive strength, and increases the tensile strain capacity of the samples. Furthermore, using oxygen plasma treatment method (power 200 W and time 300 seconds) enhances the bonding of fibers with the matrix surface; thus, the tensile strain capacity of samples increased on average up to 70%.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.16-22
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• 2001

Pretensioned spun high strength concrete (PHC) pile has to be quality-controlled and provided an adequate concrete cover to assure high load carrying capacity, impact resistance, economy, and durability. During spun pre-casting, the pile section is divided into several segregated layers such as laitance, paste, mortar, and concrete layers. Greater the thickness of segregated layers, more difficult it is to guarantee the capacity and the durability of PHC pile. The experimental study was performed to investigate the effects of centrifugal condition on the segregated layers of materials and the compressive strength of concrete for PHC pile. The considering factors in the test were centrifugal time and magnitude of centrifugal force. These factors have been found to have greater influence on the segregation than the concrete strength. The moderate centrifugal condition has to be considered to maintain quality assurance in the production of PHC pile, especially to provide the adequate concrete cover over its tendons.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.545-552
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• 2009

An experimental study was performed on the yLRC composite column. Its external surface was manufactured with y-shape steel sheets and L-shape steel angles, and concrete was poured inside in the field. This composite column has improved the section capacity due to the composite action of steel and concrete, and provides good efficiency in reducing the terms of construction works because of its abridged formworks. The stub column specimens (three small and three large specimens) were tested through concentrical axial loading, and the effect of the width-to-thickness ratio of the steel angle on the column axial strength was examined. The axial strength and behavior of the composite columns were analyzed, and a formula for predicting the axial load capacity was proposed.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.279-289
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• 2018

Shear walls are one of the important structural elements for bearing loads imposed on buildings due to winds and earthquakes. Composite shear walls with high lateral resistance, and high energy dissipation capacity are considered as a lateral load system in such buildings. In this paper, a composite shear wall consisting of steel faceplates, infill concrete and tie bars which tied steel faceplates together, and concrete filled steel tubular (CFST) as boundary columns, was modeled numerically. Test results were compared with the existing experimental results in order to validate the proposed numerical model. Then, the effects of some parameters on the behavior of the composite shear wall were studied; so, the diameter and spacing of tie bars, thickness and compressive strength of infill concrete, thickness of steel faceplates, and the effect of strengthening the bottom region of the wall were considered. The seismic behavior of the modeled composite shear wall was evaluated in terms of stiffness, ductility, lateral strength, and energy dissipation capacity. The results of the study showed that the diameter of tie bars had a trivial effect on the performance of the composite shear wall, but increasing the tie bars spacing decreased ductility. Studying the effect of infill concrete thickness, concrete compressive strength, and thickness of steel faceplates also showed that the main role of infill concrete was to prevent buckling of steel faceplates. Also, by strengthening the bottom region of the wall, as long as the strengthened part did not provide a support performance for the upper part, the behavior of the composite shear wall was improved; otherwise, ductility of the wall could be reduced severely.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2008.11a
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• pp.753-756
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• 2008

HPFRCC (High-Performance Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Composites), which is relatively more ductile and has the characteristic of high toughness with high fiber volume fractions, can be used in structures subjected to extreme loads and exposed to durability problems. In the case of using PVA(polyvinyl alcohol) fibers, it is noted by former studies that around 2% fiber volume fractions contributes to the most effective performance at HPFRCC. In this study, therefore, compressive and flexural tests were implemented to evaluate the compressive and flexural capacities of HPFRCC while the total fiber volume fractions was fixed at 2% and two different PVA fibers were used with variable fiber volume fractions to control the micro-crack and macro-crack with short and long fibers, respectively. Moreover, specimens reinforced with steel and PVA fiber simultaneously were also tested to estimate their behavior and finally find out the optimized mixture. In the result of these experiments, the specimen consists of 1.6% short fibers (REC 15) and 0.4% long fiber (RF4000) outperformed other specimens. When a little steel fibers added to the mixture with 2% PVA fibers, the flexural capacity was increased, however, when high steel fiber volume fractions applied, the flexural capacity was decreased.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.339-355
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• 2022

The high cost of ultra-high-performance engineered cementitious composite (UHP-ECC) is currently a crucial issue, especially in terms of the polyethylene (PE) fibers use. In this paper, cheap calcium carbonate whiskers (CW) were evaluated on the feasibility of hybrid with PE fibers. Diverse combinations of PE fibers and CW were employed to investigate the multi-scale enhancement on the UHP-ECC performance. A probabilistic-based UHP-ECC tensile strain reliability analysis approach was utilized, which was in general agreement with the experimental results. Furthermore, a multi-dimensional integrated representation was conducted for the comprehensive assessment of UHP-ECC. Results illustrated that CW improved the compressive strength and energy dissipation capacity of UHP-ECC owing to the microscopic strengthening mechanism. CW and PE fiber further promoted the saturated cracking of composite by multi-scale crack arresting effect. In particular, PE1.75-CW0.5 specimen possessed the best overall performance. The ultimate cracking width of PE1.75-CW0.5 group had 98 ㎛, which was 46.18% lower compared to PE2-CW0 group, the 28d compressive strength were slightly improved, the tensile strain capacity was comparable to that of PE2-CW0 group. The results above demonstrated that combinations of PE fiber and CW could significantly enhance the comprehensive performance of UHP-ECC, which was beneficial for large-scale engineering applications.